Katie and her partner meet with the consultant obstetrician to discuss the care that Katie will be offered during the remainder of her pregnancy. Katie will now be under the care of an extended multidisciplinary team:
- midwife counsellor
- consultant obstetrician (foetal medicine specialist)
- foetal/paediatric cardiologist
- paediatric cardiac liaison nurse
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The consultant obstetrician talks to Katie and her partner about the results
Foetal medicine specialist: Foetal medicine specialist: As you know, Katie, we have confirmed that your baby has a serious heart condition, known as Tetralogy of Fallot. Do you understand what this means?
Katie: Yes, thank you. I think I understand what it all means now but I don”t really know how it will affect my pregnancy. Will I still have the same midwife?
Foetal medicine specialist: Your midwife will still look after you and you will come back for an appointment in about a month. Your care will be shared between your local maternity unit and us. I know that you had hoped to have your baby at your local hospital but it is important that you deliver your baby close to a paediatric cardiac facility, so that will mean booking you in here, rather than locally.
Katie: I”m happy to do whatever is best for the baby, doctor. What will happen once the baby is born?
Foetal medicine specialist: If everything goes to plan, the cardiac surgeons will carry out an operation on the baby when it is a few days old, just to make sure that his/her heart can cope until he/she is big enough to undergo a full repair. Then, when he/she is about 6 months old the surgeons will need to do another operation to repair the problems that there are with the heart.
Katie: And what about later, when the baby is bigger? Will it need more operations?
Foetal medicine specialist: There is a probabililty that the baby will need more surgery later in life but he/she will be reviewed regularly at the paediatric cardiology clinic until the age of 16. Thereafter, he/she will be invited to attend the Adult Congenital Cardiac clinic. There are quite a lot of things that you will need to know about having a child with Tetralogy of Fallot and the cardiac liaison nurses will be there to support you with this.
Pulse point
The parents of babies born with congenital heart disease may require a lot of psychological support. Having a baby diagnosed with heart abnormalities prior to birth offers healthcare professionals the opportunity to prepare and fully inform parents in advance.
